Callis had walked the castle hallways many times already since he obtained the rank of Ensis as thanks for defeating the Necromancer, even if he felt that he shouldn’t be thanked after the tragedy caused by the villain.

Encounters like the one he just had happened almost all the time. His fellow Highborn saw him as an eyesore, as a mistake that never should’ve happened. Even after besting the Necromancer months ago, he didn’t get the respect he deserved. 

Many thought he was an accomplice of the criminal, others wouldn’t even admit he was involved with the hunt. If it wasn’t for his superiors in the City Guard and his influential grandfather, Callis’ good deed would surely have been unrewarded.

Not that Callis felt that his actions needed rewarding, he was just following the ideals he held dear, and the death of Cidens Heres Adamas, daughter of Rex Katena, weighed heavily on his conscience, even if he wasn’t guilty of it, as in his mind, not defeating the Necromancer before he killed her was reason enough to feel guilty.

Callis couldn’t shake that feeling, because unlike many of the members of the traditional faction in court, Callis actually believed in the high ideals of the ancient Ensis and the Imperial Court.

Many among the faction only see the reformists as people who will take their benefits and boons away and give them to the Lowborn; they only thought of their rights, rather than their responsibilities.

And Callis, who most wanted to be stripped of any rights he had, only focused on his responsibilities. 

The Half-Blooded Ensis was a man enamored with a past that was long gone. He grew to respect the stories of the Imperial Ensis, the blueprint for the organization he was currently a part of, the spiritual ancestors of his profession.

He read about them during his brief stint in the Royal Academy, idolizing them without knowing that most of what he read was less historical record and more propaganda.

The tragic part was that in reality, most of them would hate Callis’ “tainted” blood almost as much as Callis himself did. What he considered an accursed bloodline rushing through his veins was always the source of his problems, and even worse in his mind, problems for those he cared about, like his grandfather.

Even as he was lost in thought, he navigated the castle with ease. Some officers and ministers that had worked for years in the court consistently lost their way, thanks to the somewhat makeshift nature of the castle.

Years of additions around the main tower with slightly different techniques and approaches had given the building a labyrinth-like feel. Without losing a step, the Half-Blooded Ensis arrived at the entrance hall of the castle, a large room with a tall stone ceiling held aloft by delicate-looking pillars made of polished Cibus. 

“I hope Messa Pruina is around,” Callis thought to himself as he entered through one of the side corridors, but before he could find his superior, the leader of the Order of Meridio Ensis his attention was caught by the sound of the main gate to the courtyard creaking.

Only royalty and high-ranking noblemen were allowed to use that door. Callis didn’t hesitate for a second and stopped before reaching the long carpet that crossed the whole hall from door to door, standing beside one of the crystalline pillars ready to bow to whoever was about to pass through. 

The entourage was lead by a small group of Ensis, all from the Cidens Order, the most important among all the Ensis, marked by their golden jackets and white cloaks.

They usually only protected High Nobility or Royalty, so Callis considered his choice to stop in his tracks wise. It didn’t take long for him to recognize who was the one being protected, as thanks to his acute senses he always could smell people before he saw them, and this individual was always accompanied by a peculiar and unique smell.

A mixture of smoke and herbs reached Callis’ nostrils before even the first Cidens Ensis passed by the pillar he was standing beside. 

It was Chalearii Aemilianus, Minister of Arcane Sciences, Prophet of the Ancients, and personal aide to the current Cidens Heres, the second daughter of Rex Katena III, Aspis.

Callis kneeled instantly.

Usually just going to one knee and lowering your head was enough reverence, but the Half-Blooded Ensis saw that as a lax replacement for the correct, if archaic, show of etiquette.

As the group passed Callis, he was with one knee on the ground, his back bent forward, his head down and the back of his hands placed against the floor. To Callis this was the appropriate bow, most people saw it, as many others Callis held dear, as a relic of the past, and not even many of the traditionalists knew about it.

The Half-Blooded Ensis just hoped they would pass him by, more often than not the Cidens Ensis tended to lord over other Ensis, and that went double for him, but much to his dismay they stopped.